REMOVALS..................a sorry tale

[zebedee]

Well, the container turned up on time yesterday and I have to say Pickfords have been brilliant, from the very start in the UK to being handed over to the Oz team and to the final delivery. Spot on service.

[Guest adlyn2012]

Hi sarah

 

Did you evere get a reply as I dont know how to PM either and would like to know the best shipping company to use please

 

Adlyn

[Guest Crushfamily]

To my dying day I will make sure that no one uses French Atlantic or a very similar name to that!

[Guest NewInOz]

Hello Pommy99, I am a Pom and I have been in Adelaide since August 2010. I retrained as a mortgage broker in Australia and lots of customers ask me for names of locksmiths, conveyancers, tradies of all descriptions, landlords' insurers, property managers, tax depreciation experts and, of course, removalists. I have used one particular firm twice myself since arriving but I would very much appreciate your telling me who this lot were so that I am never tempted to recommend them. Sorry to hear of your bad experience. I am sure there must be someone who can take this up for you such as an ombudsman. They should not be allowed to get away with it.

[Guest adlyn2012]

Crush family is it AP as I was going to use them. Had a quote last week

 

Cheers

[snifter]

Just a reminder that mods and admin ask people not to name and shame on the open forum. If you wish to enquire please PM the member direct.

 

Thanks

 

Snifter

[george&mildred]

We have just returned from spending 2 years in Darwin (nice place for a holiday but not for us as a place to live).

We used a company to shift our stuff up there and the same company on our return.Going up no problems, coming back not so good.

I think that it depend very much on the crew that you have not so much the company, the guys that moved us in to the house down here did nothing but moan about the stairs,the amount of stuff we had, that it was heavy , how they needed more help. They arrived nearly 2 hours late, they had to get fuel !!!, they were short staffed !!!! ,the load was packed wrong!! If it had not been for my husband helping out they would have been here all day.

The company were great with quotes, sorting out any problems and the organisation of the moves, and some of the guys were fine, but if your job is moving furniture, get on with it, don't moan about how much stuff people have or where they live, you are being paid for it!!!!!

I think you will find good and bad in any company, we used Pickfords/Allied Pickfords when we moved from the Uk to Australia 7 years ago and they were fantastic, no problems at all and would be happy to recommend them, but as I have said the company ( which I have not named) that moved us interstate were good and bad, just the luck of the draw !!!

[Guest AngPhil]

We paid for a sole use 20 foot container, our stuff was collected from our house on 25th and 26th July. We were promised an 8 to 12 week door to door service. Still waiting for our container, no communication at all. Turns out our stuff was sitting in their warehouse for 20 days in the UK and will have spent 19 days sitting in their warehouse in Australia.

 

Meet someone at last PIA meet up and their stuff was on the same boat as ours, their was delivered last Saturday, we will have to wait an extra 11 days for our stuff to be delivered. Will be 15 weeks by the time it is delivered. The company we used is the same company in both the UK and Australia, which they told us ment they could provide a quicker service, what a load of B*****S! My Dad keeps joking that our container has been captured by a bunch of pirates, he's not far wrong.

 

We are going to put the company in small claims court in the UK for breach of contract once our stuff eventually arrives. It will cost us £60 and they will either have to defend my claims (which will cost them time and money) or pay us out. Win or lose we don't have to pay their costs, either way it will make us feel 100 times better.

 

Some friends of ours used the same company and they were told that the company had vehicle problems, so they couldn't load the container at their house. They were packed up and all the stuff taken to the UK warehouse, 7 weeks later they received a bill for £900, as their container was just been loaded and they had too much stuff!

 

PM me if you want the name of the 'royal headware' company.

[zebedee]

We paid for a sole use 20 foot container, our stuff was collected from our house on 25th and 26th July. We were promised an 8 to 12 week door to door service. Still waiting for our container, no communication at all. Turns out our stuff was sitting in their warehouse for 20 days in the UK and will have spent 19 days sitting in their warehouse in Australia.

 

Meet someone at last PIA meet up and their stuff was on the same boat as ours, their was delivered last Saturday, we will have to wait an extra 11 days for our stuff to be delivered. Will be 15 weeks by the time it is delivered. The company we used is the same company in both the UK and Australia, which they told us ment they could provide a quicker service, what a load of B*****S! My Dad keeps joking that our container has been captured by a bunch of pirates, he's not far wrong.

 

We are going to put the company in small claims court in the UK for breach of contract once our stuff eventually arrives. It will cost us £60 and they will either have to defend my claims (which will cost them time and money) or pay us out. Win or lose we don't have to pay their costs, either way it will make us feel 100 times better.

 

Some friends of ours used the same company and they were told that the company had vehicle problems, so they couldn't load the container at their house. They were packed up and all the stuff taken to the UK warehouse, 7 weeks later they received a bill for £900, as their container was just been loaded and they had too much stuff!

 

PM me if you want the name of the 'royal headware' company.

 

So sorry to hear about your experience - good luck with sorting them out. I have to say again, the complete opposite of our experience with Pickfords - cannot praise them highly enough.

[Guest Chris_J]

I'm dreading what will happen with ours now. We've used Anglo Pacific and the container was tightly packed so it may be ok. We haven't used their insurance and went with Letton Percival. Only problem was they packed my mower after I said not to and it's thick of grass....but they are covering it so I can't complain at the customer service, to be fair they have been very good on that side.

 

Sometimes I wonder though if it's bad packing that causes the damage or if it's when the container is moved on and off the boat.

[Guest Crushfamily]

Well finally a year later the Insurance Ombudsman has done a cracking job - we have got our claim paid in full and they have also waived the excess. I didn't realise it had taken so long till i saw the dates on the original post. So if you have trouble don't give up.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Admin
Nothing to do with mod, admin have to deal with the legal threats

[Guest IYM]

I am a Director of Insure-Your-Move Ltd

 

We are pleased to learn your dispute has been resolved though clearly only because of the intervention of the Insurance Ombudsmen. Without knowing all the facts it is difficult to comment but our advice would be as follows:

 

- insure your shipment with a mainstream household name insurer

 

- make sure they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (previously the Financial Services Authority) as this will give you a significant amount of protection and recourse in the event of a problem.

 

- make sure you have the full contact name and email address of the Insurer's Complaints Dept. This will shown be in the standard Terms and Conditions of any bona fida Insurance Policy.

 

- make sure you are buying insurance and not a scheme where the remover accepts liability under their Trading Conditions for any loss as you then have to deal with the remover in the event of a claim (rather than with an insurance company) and who, for obvious reasons, will be less keen to settle your claim.

 

IYM

[Guest Crushfamily]

Thanks to Bocsmorrice for putting me on to the Ombudsman.

IYM - One of the big 4 who regularly attend the immigrations shows, regulated by the FSA as you say, a policy fully underwritten.

[beebul]

I think it would be good if members who have already made the move and had a positive experience listed the company they used. If someone has added the name already, just like their post. We're trying to organise appointments right now so it'd be very helpful

 

John mason. Best price, brilliant chaps packed us up in the uk, equally brilliant unpacked in aus. Lots of banter and warmth when i was having a few wobbles in the uk, i showed my appreciation with chippy lunches! Nothing damaged, everything wrapped with love, too much at times, did the tv remote batteries need individualy wrapping?!!

[Guest Chris_J]

Guess its in case they leak. Reduces risk of insurance claim.